The Barry Blog

Been a while, but how funny is this???

2009-07-07T22:42:00.000-04:00

Updated Spelling Bee...

2009-02-04T22:06:00.002-05:00

Evan came in 9th out of 30 kids...ranging from 4th through the 8th grade. Not too shabby.

Synonym got him. The irony of that word is that Aodhan had been helping him "study" by randomly picking out words in the dictionary. Just that morning, he had him practice synonym...he got it wrong with Aodhan, too. lol.

I wasn't able to go watch him because I was sick with a stomach thing (it's going around and has hit just about everyone in the house. Aodhan is spared as of right now). Shaune and I were texting back and forth as he had his turn so I was getting play by play updates. When he spelled synonym wrong, he got to sit with Shaune and I texted him to tell him what a great job he did and making it that far was totally awesome, yada, yada....he is a kid with a lot to say and simply texted back "thanks." He is a turkey!

Woohoo Evan!!

2009-01-31T19:19:00.002-05:00

We got a letter home from the school today. Evan was selected to compete in the Middletown Spelling Bee. He is one of 6 5th graders that competed at the grade level. He tied for second place...woohoo! I'm super proud of him and he is SUPER nervous.

I'll keep ya posted on how he does on Tuesday!

I'm pretty sick of the weather...

2009-01-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

Anyone else? I really don't have much of an update because all we do is go to work, come home, and do the same thing over again. I have major cabin fever and it is driving me crazy sitting in this house!

Soccer started up again (like it ever ends!) The boys are playing on Thursday and Sunday at the hut and have practice on Saturdays for Spring Competitive. Kealan is taking swim lessons again. It is a FANTASTIC program. There are only 2 other kids in her class and she gets a LOT of one on one attention. She really wants to join the swim team this fall, and if she keeps it up, she is well on her way.

Just the newest wool skirt I made...cute, heh? I want to make another one, but seriously...I am having trouble justifying it. Teagan is potty trained, so making a wool soaker for cloth diapers just seems silly.

While I am at it....Videos for your viewing pleasure!

2009-01-06T09:41:00.004-05:00

ROCK ON!!!
Chrissy and Mike get it on!

Teagan Somersaults!

Ice Fishing, playing on the pond...

2009-01-06T09:30:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful close to school vacation at Chrissy's house. We went up to get away from the nonstop cleaning, cooking, etc. that we were doing and stayed the night. The next day, Mike's friend came over and drilled the ice all over to see how thick it was! It was a lot of fun!

Skating!

TADA

Evan looking for fish (short sleeves!)

Tegan rides the sled...if only there was a hill around.

OH WAIT! There IS a hill!!

Again! Sledding on the ice...man power style!

From Icefishing

Beer and Pizza time!

YUM

From Icefishing

Elfing is fun!

2008-12-21T22:02:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Older kids ROCK!

2008-12-19T20:50:00.002-05:00

So, Evan and Aodhan are just the most awesome kids ever. Having 4 kids is HARD, but Evan and Aodhan truly step up to the plate. They help SOOOO much with Teagan. They can keep her occupied forever. Just now, Teagan asked to go pee pee and I said to her, go tell Aodhan, so she runs over "Adee, pee pee" and he gets up and takes her to the potty. Granted, he didn't put her pants back on, but he did take her pee...lol.

I promise, I washed the dress...many times!

2008-12-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

So, I went to a "thing" at Kealan's school and she wore this dress (ok, so she's worn it almost everyday for a week, but I washed it...I promise!) Anyway, one of the mothers in the class was commenting on how "festive" she looked and a little girl in the class kept saying, "oh, she wears it like, everyday. The same hat, the same dress, the same shoes." and she kept saying it. Finally, I turned to her and said, "I do wash it." LOL. I was all offended that this little girl was making fun of her...felt like I had to stick up for her.

She does look rather festive and she really LOVES this dress. She'd get together with her friends and they would play that she was Mrs. Claus. She would have reindeer, elves, etc... in school. It sounded really cute, but this is why she had to wear the dress...so she could be Mrs. Claus.

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2008-12-08T21:19:00.009-05:00

Well, my trip back from Atlanta was uneventful. I got in at 11:00 or so and crashed almost immediately. Teagan woke up in the middle of the night crying for daddy. I said, no it's mommy and she crawled over on top of me and said "mommy" and fell back to sleep. It was super cute. I'm back in Atlanta now, but am slotted to go home on Wednesday! I'm exhausted!!

Anyway, on Saturday, I told Kealan that we were getting our tree on Sunday. The only thing she said was that she really hoped that it would snow! Wouldn't you know that it snowed on Sunday? Just enough to make it festive....

Here is our tree. It's the one to the left.

Grandma came with us!

Time to cut it down! Aodhan gives it a good try!

But in the end, it takes a *man*

Side tracked by a snowman!

Baled and ready to go.

My 2 little elves! Aodhan helped, too, but Teagan wanted to take a shower right before I took the pictures, so he was helping her shower.

Atlanta is not on my list of places I want to live...

2008-12-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

I had to travel to Atlanta. So far the trip has been rotten!

First, my plane was delayed. Was supposed to leave at 5:30 and got off the ground at 9:00. I got to the rental car at midnight, luggage at 12:30, in the actual car at 12:50 and to the hotel at 1:20. I hit the pillow at 2:00 am. My boss had me at breakfast for 6:30. Do the math. 3 hours and 45 minutes of sleep!

So off to work until 6:15. Back to the hotel for a nap. My stomach dictated that dinner was in order so dinner at 8:00, back to my room at 10 and now I am going to sleep!

Apparently, Teagan did a great job last night for Shaune. He said she woke up twice. Once looking for "side" (nursing) and then looking for apple joo (he gave her water). That was it. If she keeps up with it, he will have such an easy time and maybe she'll be sleeping through the night when I get back!

Kealan on the other hand had a terrible night. Shaune said she cried herself to sleep and then when she woke up, she cried again. She got to sleep at grandma's tonight. Going without the boys makes her feel special so off she went. I hope it keeps her mind off of everything.

The boys are handling it really well. I said hi to everyone and then they were off to hip hop. I am now off to bed!

Tada! Xmas Pictures are done and over!

2008-11-22T07:26:00.002-05:00

Hooray! One less thing to worry about this Holiday Season! Woohoo! Of course Teagan was LESS than cooperative so we only got pictures of them separately. I didn't like Evan and Aodhan's separate picture, but I love the one of them together!

See below!

The girl is freakin smart!

2008-11-20T23:16:00.002-05:00

Shaune and I went to Kealan's 1st grade Parent Teacher Conferences tonight and were a little taken back with her ability. We knew that she loved to read and write, but were astonished to find out that she is reading with 99% accuracy and 102 words per minute. The expectation is that at the end of 2nd grade, kids should be reading at 100 words per minute.

On top of that, when they originally tested her for placement in spelling, she tested so high that they put her with the 2nd grade group of high spellers (4 total kids and according to the teacher, essentially 3rd grade) and she is breezing through this with no problems.

Math is coming easy for her as well. They have 2 tests and she got 100's on them both, but the teacher feels that math is more of a step learning process. After all, you have to learn to add before you can multiply!

Where she struggles. When writing, she throws in random capital letters. She will write a sentence and the 3rd word in the sentence will be capitalized. We will try to work on that with her so that writing a sentence correctly comes without having to think about it. I also feels that she struggles socially. She can be quite bossy, and if kids don't want to do what *she* wants to do, she just walks away and plays alone. It's almost like there is no compromise. Her way or no way. It absolutely does NOT bother her to play alone and does so more often then not during recess. That's bugging me because I don't want her to be socially challenged!

Shaune asked the teacher what percentage of 1st graders in her school were at her level and the teacher said none. My question was, if she is doing 2nd/3rd grade reading and spelling, what happens next year? Luckily she will have the same teacher next year and she will keep her challenged. Come 3rd grade, though, we may have to figure something else out.

So, someday I'll take pics of the kids, but in the meantime, here are my newest pants. I have them listed on Etsy and Ebay and had an Etsy inquiry about them. I'd like to actually start selling some of these things...they are so fun to make. I love all of the creative ways to make them.

Let the night time potty training begin!

2008-11-14T11:53:00.003-05:00

We've got the day time training down. She wears undies all day long and a diaper at night. Well, the other night, she sat up in bed whining, pee pee, pee pee. As I tried to comprehend what was going on, I'm telling her "go, you have a diaper." LOL. She wasn't having it, so we got up and went pee. She was by far the easiest kid to potty train!

On that note, I did make more longies, but they are getting sold. I just don't have the use for them...

The puppy in my pocket pants....lol...the puppy was a PITA to make!

The devil in disguise

2008-11-08T08:12:00.002-05:00

Here are some pics of Halloween. I have a funny story about Halloween. The kids decided that they wanted to go to Sherri's neighborhood to Trick or Treat because the houses are so close together and you can get LOTS of candy (and they got a HAUL!)

Anyway, we were sitting around the table and Evan said that some of his friends were going Trick or Treating alone, without an adult. And in the next breath, he said "that is so irresponsible of Mr. and Mrs. not to be named. " I then drove them to school and did the test. "do you guys want to go T or T-ing alone?" In unison "NO WAY". Phew, they aren't rebelling yet!

Ok...on to the pics.

Teagan AKA The Devil in Disguise.

And the rest of the monsters.

Not to obsess...

2008-11-08T08:08:00.002-05:00

Not me! lol. I saw the commercial on Cartoon Network yesterday and recorded it with my DVR. Then I wrote the commercial to my DVD recorder, edited to be *just* the commercial, and then uploaded it. Now I'm going to embed it into my blog. See? Not too obsessive. You can click the full screen button and notice where Aodhan almost loses his balance at the end. It's pretty grainy full screen, but you get the picture.

And now for the moment we have all been waiting for...

2008-11-05T20:57:00.005-05:00

Click the picture!!!

Tada! Aodhan's commercial! It's only a 20 second commercial and Aodhan my be present for about 5 seconds of it, but he's there. I wish I could find a bigger screen...but what can you do!

And not to forget the little monster...

2008-10-23T21:50:00.000-04:00

She is all about the babies these days. Kealan hated and still hates dolls. They creep her out, but Teagan loves the babies.

Teagan is finally starting to talk. Right now, she is just a little parrot. Repeats EVERYTHING! She is getting so big. She is just about potty trained! Yay! She tells us she has to go (whining and grabbing her pants), but if we aren't paying attention, we will miss it. If she is naked, she just runs to her potty and goes. It is so cool that she just gets it...even if she isn't talking.

These are my newest pants that I made. I put a spider web on the butt and a spider on the cuff. I made the matching ear flap hat...they are adorable!

Who are these kids?

2008-10-23T21:08:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it....Can you? You can see if Evan's ear and eyebrows! He looks like a different kid. I guess 5th grade is the year of change!

Aodhan went short and messy, too!

Newest obsession.....

2008-09-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've run out of yarn, so I've come back to the computer. After years of crocheting nothing but straight lines - blankets and scarfs - I have learned to read a pattern. I made Teagan some wool longies. Wool longies are mostly used at night to keep kids dry. Teagan sometimes pees through her diaper and I'm not sure what else to stuff it with, so I decided to try my hand at wool longies. They came out ok...the next pair will be better. I also made a hat with ear flaps...my first. Again, the next will be better!

You know school is in session!

2008-09-19T19:19:00.004-04:00

What is it, the 3rd week of school or so? Kealan is down and out with the stomach bug. Teagan had it Wednesday and now Kealan. As it is, Aodhan, Shaune, and I have been battling sinus colds. This is just the beginning.

On another note, passed the weekend that Aodhan started with his ulcers. HUGE relief. I thought for sure 5th grade would do them in. So far, they are loving it and looking forward to school every day! I'm giving it a few months.

Two days, two girls, twob boo boos.....

2008-09-15T06:40:00.005-04:00

Day one!

Teagan takes a digger on the gravel right on her face. I'm happy to say, that I was NOT on duty that day. The guilty party knows who he or she is..lol. Apparently, she was climbing out of her Little Tykes car and got caught up on it and fell out on her face.

Kealan, well. The fateful call from the nurses office. Your daughter fell off the monkey bars! Well, I found out it was the little "Snake" bars. She went between the bars and on the way down, she whacked her chin. The dr. gave her a choice of steri strips or stitches...guess what she chose.

Of course, the steri strips were already falling off on Saturday so I went to the store for butterfly stitches to hold it in place. So far so good.

Kealan and Teagan showing their war wounds. Teagan was funny. I kept telling Kealan to look up so I could see her chin and Teagan was copying her.

So, notice her hair in the above picture? The long straggly pieces? Whenever we were leaving her hair down, I was calling her the orphan child because they were just looong and straggly. Shaune said she looked like Michael Boltons child...lol. Doesn't she look much cuter?

What is that GAWD AWFUL noise?

2008-09-09T21:09:00.002-04:00

Oy my aching ears! The boys have elected to take band this year and they are BOTH taking Clarinet. I can NOT wait for them to actually learn to play them because the noise they are making hurts! Someone pass the ear plugs. Remember when you were in school and took band how you could "borrow" instruments? Well, that is definitely NOT the way it works now. You now have to RENT instruments. Isn't that crazy? Having kids in school is ridiculously insane. It seems that everytime I turn around I am sending money to school. It's nuts! It's not just middle school, it's elementary, too. Budget cuts, budget cuts, budget cuts.

Give them an inch....they take a mile.

2008-09-04T22:23:00.002-04:00

My grandfather used to say that all the time! Evan and Aodhan rode their bikes again today. One exception...instead of coming straight home, they called to see if they could visit a friend on the way home. Of course we caved and the boys came home to get their suits, to ride back to their friends. Aodhan was way too excited for his new found freedom and went too fast for Evan. Evan tried to catch up and fell off his bike. He was pretty skinned up and said his wrist was KILLING him. It didn't stop him from getting back on his bike and heading to his friends house. We are all just glad he didn't hit or get hit by a car and I consider him lucky to have had his helmet on!

In other news, Kealan asked me to buy her some high heels today. How funny! Never mind the girl is by far the tallest in her class, she wants to be taller. I told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn't getting high heels. When I got home from work, I discovered that she put my lipstick on. My lipstick is the 12 hour kind that you don't have to reapply. She missed her lips....I soooo wish she would've let me take a picture, but she was totally and completely embarassed..lol. Apparently, my mother in law tried scrubbing her with a face cloth and it didn't work. The trick, though, is chapstick. Rub the chapstick over the lipstick and it wipes right off. LOL...I still wish I had that picture, it was like a clown mouth!

In Teagans world...she is getting soooo close to being potty trained! She just turned 15 months! If I let her go without a diaper, she will go to her potty all by herself and use it. Today, she ran by and I said, go pee pee on the potty (not thinking she would even remotely listen!) and she went to her potty and did a pooh! Woohoo! Later on tonight, she was still without a diaper and I turned around...there she was sitting on the potty, peeing! She is totally getting it! I think by this time next month she will be wearing underwear!! Yay! That means that I don't have to make anymore diapers....oh yeah...let's all celebrate!

No pictures tonight...off to bed!

First Day of School

2008-09-03T21:55:00.006-04:00

I'm tired and wasn't going to post tonight, but...here I am. Today was the first day of school for everyone. The boys started 5th grade *gasp* Middle School! I didn't think I was ready, but lo and behold, it was a smooth transition. They are "walkers!" This means they can ride their bikes..woohoo! Freedom!. Granted, we have only let them ride their bikes ONCE to the school alone...only once, so this is a HUGE leap for them.

Shaune took them this morning on their bikes, but they rode home alone. I will say, that they totally LOVED school. Everything was "great!" They are still a little nervous about tomorrow, unsure as to where to go when they first get there, but all in all, ready!

There was a 5th grade breakfast that we got to go to with the boys and Evan practically shooed us out the door. He was definitely more interested in hanging with his buddys than hanging with old mom and dad.

Oh, I failed to mention in the post below that the blue and yellow dresses that the girls are wearing are the ones I made for Easter. I really wanted the kids to match and couldn't find ANYTHING for the girls to wear that I liked, so I made the dresses.

Here are a few pics from this morning

Getting ready to ride. Dad takes Teagan for the ride with them.

Off they go!

Dad makes home in time to see Kealan off on the bus.

Meeting her at school as she gets off the bus. She was soooo nervous about going back to school. I don't recall her ever being this nervous...she couldn't eat breakfast...lol.

Taking 4 kids for portraits is about as fun as sticking a pen in my eye....

2008-09-01T18:30:00.003-04:00

But...we had some success. Evan, Aodhan, and Kealan were EASY...well, Kealan got distracted a few times, but other than that, they were perfect. Teagan...oh Teagan! I am fully convinced that this child never ever ever ever stops moving. I think she stops when she's sleeping, but I bet she dreams of running. Every time we put her down, poof she would run. It was SUCH a challenge to get her in the pictures. Her hair looked *way* better when we started, but as the pictures progressed, her hair just fell apart.

Anyway, here are the *few* that I liked....

What do you call that thing that makes your hair look neat? Oh...a hairbrush!

2008-08-28T21:07:00.005-04:00

Apparently, we don't own one! LOL. Ok...I will look past the fact the my mother in law left the house with my child looking like a little orphan...lol (she's reading this, I'm sure, so I'm not talking behind her back...tee hee!). I will focus on the fun that she took them on.

She took them to Prescott farm (is that it?) with the ducks. Then she took them someplace nearby that had animals you could feed. It looks like they had fun and they all said they had fun...so it must've been fun. For the record, they have informed me that tomorrow they are going on a field trip to the Potter Shelter and the next day, they will be going to the Bird Sanctuary. Do you think my Mother in Law is privy to that information?

Flying High...

2008-08-27T21:00:00.007-04:00

Shaune, Evan and Kealan had a great opportunity tonight! They got to go up in a single engine plane and fly around the Island. Shaune works with a guy (Alex) that is a part-time flight instructor and was taking a plane out. He asked Shaune if he wanted to go. Aodhan was the Camera Crew and he took some pictures below. Both Kealan and Aodhan were soooo super excited. Shaune said they didn't stop smiling the whole time they were up there! Shaune said they actually went to New Beford and back. Getting there took all of 10 minutes! He said they were moving around 125 mph.

Evan, Teagan, and I stayed behind. For one, it was only a 4 seater plane and for 2, we are all chicken! I will admit to being a tiny bit jealous. If I wasn't such a chicken, I may have battled Aodhan for one of the seats!

Navy Base + Huey Lewis = Free Concert

2008-08-25T19:45:00.005-04:00

Well, yesterday was the last Pollyanna Show for Aodhan. By the time we were done seeing the show, I'm quite sure I could have recited the entire thing. Evan started counting mistakes....he's a turkey! Afterward, Chrissy and Mike picked him up and brought him to the base for the Huey Lewis concert. That was loads of fun. I was amazed at how much Huey Lewis sounds the same as he did back in the 80's. It was a great time!

Bad Mommy!

2008-08-23T21:34:00.006-04:00

Two posts in one night? Don't get used to it. I just saw these videos that I took and thought they were funny!

In this quick video, she was able to do the slide perfectly. When the camera goes on....it's a different story!

I'm sure DCYF will be knocking on my door now. Don't worry, she didn't get hurt. In fact, she got up all ticked off with a mouthful of Fibar and turned around and whacked the slide.

I think this is more her speed!

Opening Night!

2008-08-23T21:08:00.000-04:00

So, needless to say, I wass pretty surprised to see Aodhan's dandy outfit. He looked like he had fun, but also looked really nervous. I've been trying to pep talk him, so we will see if he remembers tomorrow.

Here he is before the show!

The first opening scene

And out with his "stage family". That's his "mother" and "sister" next to him. He was Joey Pesyon....the boy brat of the family. How fitting!

Aodhan? Aodhan who?

2008-08-21T06:38:00.001-04:00

I barely see Aodhan anymore! Over the past two weeks, he has had rehearsal for his play every night 4-7. Thankfully, it opens tonight and next week, he will be free. We just have 6...yep you heard that right 6 shows to get through over the next 4 days! I am trying to figure out how to go the the play, casting party, AND the Navy Base to see Huey Lewis on Sunday night! Huey Lewis Information

I think we have some sort of plan down. Chrissy will come (hopefully!) to see Aodhan's play and then go to the base to reserve our seats. We will bag the Casting Party and then just head to the Navy Base to hook up with them. I guess I need to see how long the play is in the first place before I make elaborate plans! It's all too much!

Anyway, here are few recent pics...can you see the back of Aodhan's head?? I like this picture...it's never too early to start your school work. This child wants to do whatever her siblings do!

Evan with his Fresh new Haircut. He got a LOT of hair chopped off and she chopped the blue! He still won't go any shorter.

Kealan saw me take a picture of Evan and wanted in on the action. She's good. While it took 3 snaps of Evan to get it right, I took one of Kealan and moved on. She got right up, struck a pose and a smile...poof done!

I got nothing....

2008-08-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

To talk about, that is. Chrissy just asked if I did my blog....and I have NOTHING to talk about...imagine that?

Oh, wait, I can have a bitch session. My kids won't clean the house and the baby is teething hard so I've gotten NO sleep. It's 8:00 and Shaune is at the Nursing Home with the boys visiting his grandfather, the baby won't sleep and I have a sink full of dishes and a full basket of laundry to put away. I'm too tired to do any of it from getting NO sleep over the last 2 nights because of a teething baby! ARGH.

Serenity NOW!

Here are a couple of pictures that miraculously appeared on my camera (My Mother in law - MIL -took them)

Teagan...she LOVES to be wrapped up in blankets. She actually looks cute here and not like the little demon baby she's been.

Kealan loving up on Rocky...her first and probably last Build A Bear.

An Ugly Ulcer Update...

2008-08-13T21:48:00.001-04:00

As most of you know, the boys have had a rough time over the past year with bleeding ulcers. The ulcers actually bleed into their stomach with so much blood loss that they have had to have blood transfusions and emergency Endoscopes (one at 2:00 a.m.) to stop the oozing blood. During this procedure they have had to go into the stomach through the mouth with a camera and have had to cauterize and put clips on the ulcer to get it to stop.
Evan had his first bleed when he was 4 and his Second this past October (we had no idea that he was having trouble until he passed out and collapsed on the floor in the dining room!) Aodhan had his first this past September (2 actually in September) and his 3rd in January. We have been ulcer free for 7 months!

I took Evan and Aodhan to the Pediatric GI yesterday and there is good news and bad news. Fist the bad news. Evan is still not gaining weight, in fact he lost weight again (apparently healthy 10 year old boys shouldn’t lose weight). I’m struggling with this because the kid can EAT. Last night he had:

Dinner – Chicken, noodles, corn. He ate most of his meal.
Snack – Cookies and Cream milk shake with extra crushed Oreos
Before bed snack – A big bowl of Frosted Flakes with whole milk.

Granted, he hasn’t had milkshakes every night, but now that he is still loosing weight, he will definitely be having them on a daily basis.

So, for the good news, well good news for us! The boys don’t have to be scoped any time soon. Dr. Ross is afraid to scope Aodhan because the last time he had an Endoscope, a week later, his ulcer bled (oh and for the record, if you go to a jam packed pedi. ER with a bag of bloody poop, you get to jump to the front of the line!). Dr. Ross would rather keep them medicated and not introduce any trauma to their stomach lining. I had asked about upping their medication prior to the start of school to ward off any undo stress. History has shown that the first bleed in both kids was right around 2 weeks after school started. This year, they are starting Middle School and it’s a whole new world. Current research shows that stress does not *cause* ulcers, but stress can *aggravate* them. Dr. Ross was confident that their current medication dose is fine. In fact, he would like to keep them medicated for at least the next couple of years with only one more Endoscope before he takes them off the meds. We need to bring Evan to the Pediatrician in a couple of months for a weight check, but we don’t’ need to see Dr. Ross for 6 months. The boys were thrilled to hear that and even more thrilled when he told them that he didn’t need to check their blood levels (needles! The horror)!

Keep your fingers crossed that they remain healthy once school starts and we remain “hospital free!”

Check it out!!! The tub is finally gone from our upstairs bathroom....5 years...that's all it took....5 years! Woot! Go Shaune!

Evan and Aodhan don protective eye wear!

A Visit to Davenport

2008-08-12T20:10:00.001-04:00

While we were at the cabin, we took a trip to Davenport to see my niece and nephew, Jonnie and Katie. We haven't seen them in at least 3 years. Brendan and Chelsie bought a really cool log cabin in Davenport. They have chickens, bunnies, 2 dogs, and are looking into goats, pigs, and a horse. We had a good laugh because Brendan said he is going to eat them all.

Speaking of eating, Brendan made us an AWESOME dinner. Chicken, mashed potatoes, and stir fried squash. It was great. Even the kids ate the squash...hmmm, that may have been Brendan's rule. No more chicken unless you eat the veggies. It totally worked!

My niece is 11 now and she is as tall as I am! Can you stand it? She is 5'4.5". I think that is 1/2 inch taller than me, acutally! She is super pretty! Jonnie is sporting a mowhawk! He can make a mohawk look GOOD! It was really great seeing them and am looking forward to the next visit. Although, Davenport is about 5 hours from us...it is a haul for a weekend trip.

Kealan, Katie, Teagan, Brendan, Jr.

Jonnie rocking the mohawk and Chelsie.

Rock on...

The boys playing Halo? I think...

Katie strikes a pose.

The last hike!

2008-08-11T21:24:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this hike was a BUST! We all decided to go for a hike on the last day that Arianna was here. Poppy recommended a hike on a river that he fishes on and it sounded like a great idea. What Shaune and I didn’t realize was the hike was *in* the river. Shaune had a hard time having the baby on his back and I had a hard time, well, just because I am ultra clumsy and can barely walk on flat ground. In the end, we opted to let the kids swim at the swimming hole in the river. They had a ball and did NOT want to leave.

The dogs take a break

The Queen takes a break

Aodhan rides the waves

Relaxing on the lake?

2008-08-11T21:19:00.001-04:00

How is that possible when you have 4 kids? You have a great Mother-in-law, that’s how! My mother-in-law watched the baby quite a bit while we got some paddling and swimming time in. This was the last opportunity before she had to leave for Shaune and I to get out on the lake alone! He did a great job paddling my lazy bum around the river and keeping me angled directly toward the sun, for an all even tan!

In Poppy’s blow up Kayak. Quite comfortable once you got in!

A Hiking They Will Go!

2008-08-11T08:43:00.003-04:00

Notice how I said THEY go. I opted to stay behind and relax on the lake while Teagan slept. She slept for almost 3 hours! That’s a tired baby and that RARELY happens. I relished in the every second of not chasing a toddler around! Apparently, though, I really missed out on a beautiful spot. The kids hiked to a really nice waterfall and frolicked in the water. Doesn’t it look gorgeous?

Samanta, Emily and Leah and Aodhan and Samantha

The Gang and Aodhan and Samantha

The Water Falls!

I'm so Blue

2008-08-11T08:32:00.000-04:00

Evan, Evan, Evan! That’s all I can say! He has been determined to dye his hair…probably since the last year or so. We broke down because he is ready for a hair cut! Can you believe it? After growing and loving his hair for a few years, he wants to cut it? Wow Wow!

It's Blue-ish black in the sun...it's rather cool.

Camporama! The Clamboil

2008-08-11T08:15:00.003-04:00

First, for those who were wondering how I was able to post the "Gone Fishing" post, we went to the mall and I took my laptop with me. I was able to hook on to an unsecured wireless network. Do you see how bad my withdrawals were? At the mall, in the food court...lol.

On to the good stuff! We went up to the Allan’s cabin on the lake (Onkerdonk?) and had a WONDERFUL time. There were over 20 people here at one point. We arrived Friday evening and got all set up. We had a couple of drinks by the fire and then off to bed. Saturday we spent some time floating in the lake and kayaking around for a bit. The only reason we got out of the water was because we had to help with a massive clam boil. We had a bushel of clams, potatoes, chourico, sausage, corn on the cob, etc…. It was yummy! Shaune cleaned the clams and the girls put the clam boil together. After the clam boil, we chilled out around the fire again while the kids went into our camper to watch a movie and relax.

The mosquitos are a little rough on the ankles here, but a little bug spray and you are good to go. Teagan had a rough time settling in, but once she did, we were able to chill out a bit.

Here are a couple of pics from the clamboil.

We have from bottom to top, left to right Arianna, Emily B. Aodhan, Samantha, and Kealan.

Gone Fishing~!!!

2008-08-06T14:49:00.000-04:00

On vacation, no internet or cell phone service...I'M DYING!

Be back soon!

This will be easy tonight!!

2008-07-31T20:43:00.003-04:00

I am going to post an email that Shaune sent out today...

So, we just make it on time - 7pm - (I won't divulge who was...ahem...tardy) to get the kids in and dressed, ready for their 'professional' debut. I pull the camper over as we enter the stadium parking lot nearest the Pro Shop to let the mascots out. It was like E company emptying out of a Douglas C-47 Dakota over Normandy, red light flashing the pilot yelling 'Go! Go! Go!' Steven leads them to the staging area. Park the RV. Whew! We made it. We get our tickets, make our way to the club seats, and wait patiently for the grand entrance. I search the field with my video camera, recording lots of other kids in black SuperLiga uniforms, just none of them ours. I tuck the camera back into my cargo short pocket out of fear of confiscation. We wait as the Revs and Atlante warm up, chat and soak up the atmosphere high above the field. One of those fleeting moments when we don't have children (or wives :-)) tugging on us asking for something. The players leave the field to prepare for their entrance. The boys will only be seen as they enter the stadium. We wait. 8o'clock. Anytime now. Oh, here they come. I frantically dig the video camera back out of my pocket. It needs to be hidden as they are prohibited. What a double standard. Quickly now - it's time. I set myself on the concrete balcony, a human tripod, squatting like a catcher, two hands on the camera, wrists touching the low, steel railing. Great zoom on this little camera my wife just got. I can zoom right in on their faces. I have to be steady though, as using the zoom it is very touchy. Hold'er steady. Concentrate. A bit star struck they are, like deer in headlights. A few smile, most are stone faced looking around, caught in the moment. Pretty big deal for a little kid I imagine. Or they might just be weirded out holding a stranger's hand. They're all lined up now, in front of their pro waiting for the anthems. First the Mexican anthem then our own Star Spangled Banner. I am proud to say that Jojo held his hand over his heart, gently nudging the boys to each of his sides, a reminder to be respectful, much like his father must have done to him. I have done the same to my own sons at these events, whispering in their ear to place their hands over their hearts as a sign of respect to the men who have fought and died to allow us these wonderful freedoms. I am convinced that my son Evan must be deaf in that ear, as his hands are by his side.

Their work is done. They file off, as the players shake hands, ready to begin the fight. They are organized and respectful, I assume due to the riot act they must have been read prior to entering the stadium. Now they begin to smile, perhaps realizing what they have just done. They stood side by side with professional footballers, imagining the day when they will hold a youngsters hand and inspire him, as they have been inspired. That or they are looking forward to chicken fingers and tricolored nachos.

Hopefully, that description, captured in your mind's eye, is better than any video that I could have taken because in my haste to smuggle the video camera out of my pocket and capture this momentous event in our sons' lives, I neglected to hit the record button. Moron.

So, there you have it! The Electrical Engineer that can't run electronics! LOL. I'm sure he won't do that again. I'm sure we have all done that at one point in our lives...I know I have! The good news is that Aodhan didn't utter a word about the soccer game. Bullet dodged!

On to the pics!!

Just like Daddy!!!

My little bookworm! She LOVES to read...all day long, reading, reading, reading! She started and finished this book tonight..."Tales from the House of Bunnicula - It Came from Beneath the Bed" Scary!!! She said it was a little bit scary!

No pics of the boys today....they are off with Shaune visiting his grandfather in the nursing home.

I have guilt!

2008-07-30T21:44:00.002-04:00

So, Aodhan tried out for our local Children's Theater and got a part. Well, we are getting ready to go on vacation and he is going to miss a week of rehearsals so he HAD to make all of them this week (which is every day!) Well, wouldn't luck have it! Steven (Asst. Coach to Shaune for the boys' soccer team) was able to secure tickets to the Revs Soccer Game in Foxboro. We are talking box seats (thanks Steven!!) Even better, the boys were able to be the "mascots" for the team. They needed 11 players to walk out with the team before the game and Aodhan couldn't go. The worst part is, we didn't tell him that the team was walking out. He was so upset that he couldn't go to the game that we thought it would be best NOT to tell him because it would have devastated him. We will be facing the music tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it. I am hoping that he was so upset last night because he was tired and that this will roll off his shoulders! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I am hoping that Shaune gets some good video of them walking out on the field! It is going to be super exciting for them.

On to the baby news. She is definitely feeling better. While she's still not eating so much, she is acting like her little devil baby self. Who gave her permission to find her voice and use it to only screech? I honestly don't think the other 3 screeched nearly as much as this one does. It is constant totally maddening. This one is going to give us a run for our money. I hope this is only a phase and will pass soon! Ay yay yay!

On to the pictures. Sadly, I didn't see Evan but for a minute today, so he escaped the wrath of picture taking!

We went for Ice Cream after dinner and that is where I took the pictures…in the car with Ice Cream.

Teagan baby being impatient…then in heaven!

Kealan and Aodhan enjoying their special cones! Ice cream definitely makes it all better!

I think the worst is over!

2008-07-29T21:43:00.004-04:00

First, the results are in...no UTI. We (or my mother in law, that is) was able to get a urine sample around 9:30. Hooray! The little stinker sat on the toilet every 10 minutes and held out! Finally, we got our sample, it was all in vain, though!

I will say that she definitely seems so much better tonight than yesterday. She wanted to go outside. The past few nights, she wanted to be inside, sitting on my lap and not moving. She ate a bit, too! I think we are ready for a rebound.

Everyone is in bed and we have officially run out of diapers, so I am off to wash a load of diapers!

Oh....let's not forget the daily pics!

Here is Teagan, outside....ALMOST happy!

And all three in our blow up pool. They were making a whirl pool and pulling a "Sid" (from ice age with the watermelon/football) yelling SSLLLLOOOOWWWWWW and moving in super slow motion.

She was perking up!

2008-07-28T17:54:00.003-04:00

Well, after keeping me awake much of the night, Teagan is perking up. Shaune took her to the pediatrician this morning and everything checked out fine…she just has this fever. The pediatrician would like me to try to collect a urine sample. Isn’t that the funniest thing you ever heard? He thinks she may have a UTI. She has started to potty train, so I may just have some success.

Try #1

Teagan wakes up; I take her to the potty and put the collection cup on the bottom. She pees...yippee! That was EASY! And then….she stands up. Apparently those collection cups float. She missed the cup completely and as soon as there was enough liquid, the cup floated. Ok…we’ll try again in a little while.

Try #2

She has definitely perked up and is outside, although she is still whiney and not really wanting to eat. I bring her in and she asks for a piece of bread (by ask I mean, she points at the bread and grunts). I bring her to the potty with her bread, but I can already tell that I am too late. She had just peed in her diaper. She sits on the potty anyway and plays with the bread. Harley walks in and she throws the bread on the floor for him and then she stands up. No pee. This may be more challenging than I thought!

Third time’s a charm?

Not quite. The cup stuck, but the pee missed. I’ve now resorted to washing out the pot and keeping it covered. I will then just take the urine from the pot and hope for the best. At this point, the lab is closed so we will get the first sample tomorrow morning and bring it right to the lab.

In all other news....well, there is none. I worked today at home, tried to get the baby to pee in a cup, now I am cooking dinner and waiting for Shaune and Aodhan to come home. Aodhan is at rehearsal for a play he is in...Pollyanna! Oh, I took the cat to the vet today. She got a check up, shots, etc....to the tune of $87.00. Gotta love these pets!

Daily dose of pictures. Evan ....needing a DESPERATE haircut!

Poor Sweet Sicky Teagan.

Shaune and Aodhan getting ready to watch a Western.

Kealan Strikes a Pose.

Sick baby...

2008-07-27T19:49:00.006-04:00

Teagan has been holding steady with a fever for the past 2 days. Tylenol and Motrin are knocking it back, but it hasn't broken yet. She is pretty pathetic. She really hasn't eaten too much because of it and just wants to be hold most of the day. I hate when she is like this...it's kind of stressful.

It's been raining all day...thunder and lightning, too. It's been a stay in the house, clean, do laundry, and take care of a crying baby kind of day. Here are my pics from today...

First a video of the clowns on the trampoline today....in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Here is the terribly sad and pathetic Teagan.

Kealan after her bounce on the rain soaked trampoline....

And Evan

And Aodhan...Crazy kids!!

No good deed goes un-punished....

2008-07-27T09:21:00.003-04:00

So....about the pictures. I am sooooo angry with myself. Like I said below, we went to the beach and had tons of fun. While the kids and Shaune were out on the Kayaks, I went back to the camper to grab my camera. It was in the case so I tucked it next to me on the chair. I moved just a little trying to adjust Teagan on my lap and the camera bag fell. Want to know where it fell? Right into a beach bucket filled with water and hermit crabs.

I stared in utter horror at the bag, unable to move to get it out of the water. I was afraid of what was going to happen. Finally, I willed myself to grab the bag and of course, the camera was wet. It wasn't turned on, so I quickly took the battery and card out in hopes of drying it. I put it back together this morning but it didn't turn on. Off to the local camera shop and a little prayer that they can fix it. On one positive note, I never got around to selling my Nikon CoolPix 8800 on Ebay, so I have a decent standby. I will resume my picture taking today!!!

Oh, and the interesting things you see at the beach at 10:00 at night. We watched countless cars zoom into the parking lot and then zoom out. A few stopped to "park" and one drove up to the port-a-johns so a girl could use the bathroom. Funnily enough, she couldn't see even with headlights on, so she had to haver her friend, John, hold the door open for her while she tinkled....lol. Evan got a real kick out of that. He was watching from the camper window giggling like a maniac!

Failure is MINE!

2008-07-26T23:57:00.002-04:00

No pictures today....maybe none forever. I'll talk about it tomorrow. It's late and I'm zonked.

Spent the day today trying to catch up on cleaning the house....4 kids and 3 furry animals makes that task almost impossible. Shaune cleaned out stuff in the garage and did the grass. The recent rain had NERVE to turn our grass from brown to green...can you imagine?

After we were sick of working, we headed to 3rd beach for a cookout in the camper...we JUST got home. We had a good time. It was totally relaxing...we hung out on the beach, the kids and Shaune did some kayaking, Shaune cooked yummy burgers, and then we had s'mores over the fire. A good time....we will definitely be doing that again.

The beginning of a year....

2008-07-25T21:03:00.007-04:00

There isn't much going on these days. I went to work, came home, cooked dinners and washed my cloth diapers. How totally boring is that? Shaune came home and I went for a quick dip in our little pool. I canceled our pictures that I was going to have taken tomorrow at Sears Portrait Studios. I figured that I had a new Canon Rebel XT, how dumb to have pictures taken? If the spirit moves me, I am going to head to the beach just before sunset tomorrow and take my own pictures.

I have decided that every day for the next year that I would take a picture of each kid. I think it will be cool to see how much they change. I'm hoping that by taking a daily picture, I will learn to use my camera and I will see how much my skill has improved from day 1 to day 365.

Here are today's pictures....

Evan and Aodhan. They were detectives trying to solve the case of the missing pocket knife. Yes, it is summer and yes they are wearing winter clothes. My take is that detectives don't go shirtless with shorts? Also, I will point out that I did not take this picture, I was in the room, but my Mother in Law took it...she uses my camera more than I do and she's better at it! LOL.

Kealan pausing from trampoline time for a quick snap. I won't have any problems from her when it comes to taking pictures!Here is Miss Teagan. Aodhan had to hold her down for this picture. She will definitely be my challenge. As soon as I turn the camera on her, she looks away. She is BUSY! She was also on the trampoline...naked!Ok...while I have the pictures going. Check out this cool moth we found. It is white with black spots. I'm not sure what kind it is, but it was neat looking. It wouldn't fly. The kids think it's because its wings got wet. I'll look for it tomorrow to see if it flew away.

Hamterro

2007-09-13T15:57:00.001-04:00

So, all the kids want a hamster. Yep, a hamster. I can't imagine why they would want one, I mean, we have 2 dogs, a cat, a gold fish and a cray fish, but yep, they want a hamster! You may ask how we are going to handle this request. Well, we have a solution. First, they have to keep their room clean forever. This seems to be working! They clean it every day, so of course, it's not enough for me. They lost the back to a Wii remote. I asked them a week ago to find it and they couldn't play video games until it was found. Guess what? They didn't care! Evan called me yesterday asking about a hamster again and I said, "you aren't getting one until you find the back of the remote." Guess what? Within 15 minutes, it was found. Yep 15 minutes! I think they really want a hamster. Last night, I told them to feed the dogs. I told them they weren't getting a hamster until they fed the dogs. Guess what? They fed the dogs! Evan is now catching on. "hey you can't say that every time you want us to do something!" Yes I can! It's working. I put them to bed and told them to go to sleep or they weren't getting a hamster! ha ha. Let the torture begin!